A Psychological Re-Reading of the Novel "Haras" (An Explanation and Analysis of the Enduring Psychological Consequences of War in the Characters of the Novel "Haras")
Subject Areas : Islamic Revolution and sacred defense literature
DR abolfazl ghanizadeh
1
,
noushin derakhshan
2
1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Payam Noor University, Tehran.Iran.
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Educational sciences and Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Haras, War, Defensive Strategies, Adaptive Patterns, and Defensive Mechanisms.,
Abstract :
The novel Haras, published in 2017 in the field of literature by NasimMarashi, portrays the years of a war-torn family's life and reflects the facets of fear and anxiety individuals face when dealing with problems such as war and the resulting grief.
After briefly mentioning the psychological consequences of war in human societies, in a descriptive-analytical way, this article firstly describes the strategies to deal with fear and stress caused by war, then the matching examples in the behavioral response of Rasul and Nawal as the two central characters of the story with the amount of damage explained the high adaptability and based on the concept of stress disorder caused by psychological blows of war to analyze strategies; It deals with coping, compromise patterns and defense mechanisms.The result of the research shows: that the novel Haras can be analyzed and explained based on coping strategies and compromise patterns as well as Freud's defense mechanisms, and how these strategies, patterns, and mechanisms are applied has a decisive role in the mental health and subsequently the fate of its hero.
Introduction
The novel "Haras" by NasimMarashi was published in 2017 under the name of Jang.It narrates the years of life affected by the war of a Khorramshahri family and reveals their style and behavior in dealing with the negative psychological consequences of the war.The consequences, if analyzed and interpreted in psychology based on coping strategies, adaptive patterns, and explanatory mechanisms, can alleviate psychological tensions in similar situations and lead to mental health and well-being.
Rasool and Naval, as the main characters of the story, are trapped by these consequences and complex and nested layers of psychological tensions.In the period after the war, Naval became pregnant to give birth to a son and fill the void of Sharhan, who was lost in the war.Incorrectly diagnosing the gender of the fetus, infant substitution, Tahani's suffocation, and the eldest daughter's mental illness add fresh and intricate psychological wounds to the scenes of the story, ultimately leading to daily conflicts and, eventually, Navaal's expulsion from the house.
In the ups and downs of the story and its various scenes, Rasoul and Naval act according to their cognitive and behavioral abilities, and the situations in which they find themselves lead them to unconsciously employ coping strategies, adaptive patterns, and defense mechanisms.
Counteracting strategies for reducing mental stress using problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance approaches, adaptive patterns in two reactive approaches, practical and defensive, and defensive mechanisms in suppressing, displacement, denial, rationalization, camaraderie, bonding, and fantasy are employed.
In various scenes of the story, Rasoul uses problem-focused coping strategies and defensive mechanisms of displacement and suppression.In adaptive patterns, he utilizes practical reactive responses to reduce mental stress.Meanwhile, Naval employs incompatible emotion-focused and avoidance coping strategies, defensive mechanisms of suppression, denial, rationalization, isolation, fantasy, and physical type, and in adaptive patterns, she employs defensive reactive responses to reduce tensions.
In conclusion of the article, it is deduced that alongside post-war life, not only have the psychological damages of families not disappeared, but their depth and intensity have also increased.The positive impacts of effective coping strategies, adaptive patterns, and defensive mechanisms, as well as their negative effects, are understandable and interpretable in human life, and conscious use of them can lead to the mental health and well-being of those affected by mental injuries.
Background of the Research
In recent years, interdisciplinary research, especially in psychology and literature, has gained more attention, and many articles focusing on psychological readings of novels and poetry have been written.In line with the subject of the present article, which is based on a psychoanalytic approach centered around defense mechanisms, several studies have been conducted on other novels.Notable among these are the articles "A Freudian Reading of the Novel SuranSard" by Mahmoud AghakhaniBeizhni and colleagues (2019), "An Examination of Psychological Defense Mechanisms in the Novel The Suspended Bridge" by Zeinab Haji and colleagues (2014), "An Analysis of Psychological Defense Mechanisms in the Works of SiminDaneshvar with a Focus on the Novels Suvashun, Island of Confusion, and The Wandering Camel Driver" by Zahra Doosti and colleagues (2023), "An Examination of Esfandiar's Defense Mechanisms in the Battle of Rostam" by Alami (2015), "Character Analysis of Rostam in the Story of Rostam and Sohrab Based on Defense Mechanisms" by Salehi and colleagues (2019), and the article "Analysis of the Novel Men of the Sun Based on Freud's Theory of Defense Mechanisms" by MollaEbrahimi and Hamze (2022).
In non-academic research, one can refer to the article by OmidiSarvar (2016) titled "The Headless Palm Trees, " the article "A Look at the Novel Hars" by Kanaan (2016), and also the article "Unfinished Mourning" by Feyzabadi (2019) In academic research, there are two articles by GhasemiIsfahani and Dadour (2023) titled "The Application of Reception Theory in Analyzing the Concept of War in the Novel Hars" and the article "Psychoanalytic Analysis of the Main Character in the Novel Hars Based on Karen Horney's Theories" by Khadiyapur and colleagues (2022).
In all the academic and non-academic research conducted on the novel "Hars, " the focus has been on describing and analyzing the characters from psychological or literary perspectives.However, none of the studies have addressed the reasons behind Nawal's behavior or how her actions impact the family dynamic and perpetuate its vulnerability from a psychological standpoint.Additionally, the behavioral confrontation between Rasool and its influence on the narrative progression has not been explored.
Theoretical Foundations
Anxiety and stress, as psychological phenomena, are significant factors in the emergence and persistence of many mental disorders and are an inseparable part of human life.Therefore, the way individuals cope with stress plays a crucial role in reducing the formation and duration of stressful events (Chen & Chang, 2011: 10) and is among the most significant factors influencing mental health (Lazarus & Folkman, 1992: 51). Coping strategies for stress are a dynamic process and manifest differently among individuals in the form of coping strategies, adaptive patterns, and defense mechanisms, with their application relating to the individual's personality structure.
Freud introduced three structures in the anatomy of personality: the id, the ego, and the superego.Anxiety is an inevitable result of the interaction between these three personality structures and occurs when the ego is under significant pressure.Anxiety, which is a crucial part of Freud's theory of personality, forms the basis for the emergence of neurotic and psychotic behaviors, manifesting in three forms: realistic anxiety, neurotic anxiety, and moral anxiety.The ego's dependence on the id leads to neurotic anxiety; its dependence on the superego results in moral anxiety; and its reliance on the external world generates realistic anxiety.Thus, defensive behaviors take on an important role by protecting the ego from the pain of anxiety.In addition to the defense mechanisms outlined by Freud, these coping methods also include coping strategies and adaptive patterns (Schultz & Schultz, 2012: 63).
Conclusion
In the present study, a psychological perspective was taken to explore the bitter days of this family, addressing the reasons behind Nawal and Rasool's behaviors and the painful bitterness of their lives through the lens of coping and defense styles.This approach aimed to familiarize readers with the lasting psychological impacts of war, emphasizing the importance of individuals' responses to stressful events and the necessity of training to assist affected individuals in learning coping skills.
In this context, an effort was made to highlight the significant role of coping strategies in portraying Rasool as a person who single-handedly guides his fragmented family toward life, prompting the reader to empathize with and sometimes admire him.Additionally, the paper examined and discussed the negative impact of Nawal's ineffective coping strategies, which contributed to the creation of an endless mourning cycle with the new victims of the concluded war.
Ultimately, what emerges from the psychological analysis of the research is that the novel "Hars" provides a narrative interpretation and explanation for the continuity of the bitter days and years of a war-torn family.It offers a psychological response to the unending war in Nawal's life, her unfamiliar behaviors, her regained tranquility in solitude with the withered palms, and Rasool's return to an unwelcoming home from the village.This article serves as a review of the bitter histories of Nawal, Rasool, and their innocent children, aiming to answer the harsh reality of why sometimes the world ends not with a shout, but with a lament.
Keywords: Haras, War, Defensive Strategies, Adaptive Patterns, and Defensive Mechanisms.
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